Even enthusiasts for the thrills of Orff's Carmina Burana aren't generally aware that he composed it as part of a trilogy he labeled "Trionfi", with Catulli Carmina and Trionfo di Afrodite being the other two.

An unusual two disc set including all three features a Carmina Burana that's as exciting as any of the twenty or so that I've heard, in excellent sound. Catulli and Trionfo, although probably not overall matching it in interest, are a substantial bonus.

Available from Amazon sellers at bargain prices around $8 up for the two disc set.

Shostakovich composed his 10th Symphony in 1953 following the death of the leading classical music critic in the U.S.S.R., a certain J. Stalin, who had made life dangerous for him with "reviews" of his work. The symphony is said by many to be a commemoration of that event and the violent second movement in particular is characterized as portraying the murderous atmosphere Stalin created.

This composition is generally viewed as his greatest symphony and belongs in every collection. An exciting performance, especially of the second movement, is available in notably great sound here from Amazon sellers for about $5 up.

Hi Whippersnapper: If you are interested in a complete set of Dvorak Symphonies may I suggest those conducted by Otmar Suitner with the Berlin Staatskapelle on Berlin Classics. This conductor and orchestra are not well known in the West as they were located in East Berlin during the "Cold War." These recordings sound natural and full with wonderful wind playing...a kind of "reedy-woody" tone just perfect for Dvorak. In fact the entire orchestra was made to play these symphonies. I have this set, and others by Kubelik, Szell, Dohnányi, Jansons, Previn, Davis, Chung, Kertesz and more. A small symphony 2CD set containing Nos. 7-9 by Kubelik on DG cannot be beat for the price of $7.99 on Amazon. I promise you, these versions are like no other and their artistic merit is universally praised. When I first heard the Kubelik recordings I was in awe, and I know these works intimately. Of course this my own subjective opinion. So for the same price as John's recommendation you also will have the 9th as a bonus...an unmissable deal which will not disappoint!

Hi John: Frank Shipway is not a well known conductor in North America. He is a very fine conductor....I have his Mahler 5th...a great recording (SACD), but I haven't heard his Shostakovich 10th. Have you heard Neeme Jarvi on Chandos or Stanislaw Skrowaczewski with the Halle on IMP? Two very outstanding recordings and I think much better sounding than the consensus of most reviewers who seem to lean toward Haitink and Karajan....Lee

Lee, I'm planning to get the Shipway Mahler 5th, although I haven't been able to borrow it from the over 100 public and college libraries I have access to. I was able to borrow his Shostakovich 10th, and felt confident to get it and recommend it here. Yes, I listened to the Jarvi disc(not the Skrowaczewski)and liked it, but I like the 1981 Karajan a lot and got it.

I had owned the Karajan and thought it too dry, lacking in ambiance. It bothered me enough so that I was distracted from Karajan's interpretation. I haven't heard his analogue recording which I understand is quite good and promises to be a better recording for my tastes. Regarding the Mahler, as good as Shipway is with the 5th, I think there are better recordings: Chailly, Barbirolli and Karajan. I recently went through all my Mahler 5ths including Bernstein, Zander, Bertini, Shipway and the three mentioned above. I favor Chailly's with the Concertgebouw as the most satisfying, with Barbirolli as the most dramatic and detailed, and Karajan treats Mahler differently and almost sounds like a different kind of Mahler to me. It is very fine and unique. Shipway's on SACD certainly has the best sound and is a great recording, straightforward and solid. The other three however are exceptional. All the recordings I have have merit, so I hesitate to rid myself of any of them. Regards...Lee

As I've mentioned, I always listen to 2-channel music in surround, using DPLII, etc., to extract the ambience(always present to some degree)and send it to the surrounds where it belongs. Your comment inspired me to listen to Karajan's 10th now and rapidly switch between surround and stereo. There really is a major difference and the stereo does give it an excessively flat and dry character, which surround pretty much corrects.

Incidentally, your mention of Skrowaczewski's 10th led me to search my resources. I found a small college library which had a 2-disc set of his 5th and 10th performances, which I requested and should get in 3-4 days.

Edit: I might also mention Mehta's Mahler 5th with the LA Phil, which I have.

Its curious, the L.A. Phil is my hometown orchestra and I have several childhood friends in it. The tympanist in this recording was my mentor before I went to New York City to further my musical education. I have also heard that it is an excellent recording...I will seek it out. Mehta was such a dynamic conductor when he came to L.A. The L.A. community of music lovers adored him. His Mahler was (and is) very fine. I recall begging my dad to take me to hear Mahler's "Resurrection" as a kid. My dad really didn't want to go, but he relented and when he heard it, in person, he thanked me. Since then, I've heard several live performances and relished the chance to play it, but the opportunity hasn't presented itself to me...maybe in the next life.